Research Seminar: “Diverse Roles of Extracellular Matrix in Tissue Development”

Speaker: Robert Mecham, PhD, Alumni Endowed Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology, Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Bioengineering, Washington University School of Medicine.
Talk Summary: The extracellular matrix functions to provide physical support to tissues and contains important signals that influence cellular fate and function. Over the course of evolution new ECM proteins appeared and older proteins were adapted to meet specific organismal needs. With the arrival of vertebrates, we see the appearance of numerous proteins that associate with fibrillin to create unique ECM structures that enabled the appearance of the closed circulatory system, the elastic lung, and the bone endoskeleton. Elucidation of disease pathogenesis associated with mutations in these vertebrate-specific genes sheds light on the (sometimes unanticipated) function of these specialized and unique proteins.
Hosted by: Wei Shi, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine Program